Death in Rome Saga

Death in Rome | Death in the Vineyards | Spaghetti, Meatballs and Vendetta | Funeral in Rome | The Devil’s Roastery | Death Neapolitan Style

Gildo Falcone is a sarcastic, intuitive, unconventional Roman police inspector with the soul of a chef, who investigates crimes linked to restaurants, wineries, and culinary traditions while dealing with local mafias, corrupt politicians, and ruthless businessmen. In this fast-paced saga, Gildo moves through a Rome that is as beautiful as it is rotten, solving cases where food is identity—but also a motive for murder.

The Death in Rome saga is a contemporary noir set in Rome and southern Italy, where haute cuisine and local traditions intersect with corruption schemes, mafia networks, and brutal murders.

Its protagonist, Gildo Falcone, is an atypical police inspector: trained as a chef, he wears Hawaiian shirts and owns a gourmet food truck called Porco Miseria, which he runs with his ex-wife Ornella. Sarcastic, intuitive, and deeply human, Gildo investigates each case with his stomach, his head, and his heart.

Orbiting around him are his mother Teresa, a television cooking star; Aurelio, a journalist always willing to cross lines; and Marzia, his intermittent emotional refuge. Each case stands alone, yet all share the same pulse: the clash between tradition, ambition, money, loyalty, and power. The saga blends classic mystery plots with social critique, sharp humor, and a vividly physical portrait of Italy, where food is identity—but can also become a weapon.

In Death in Rome, the discovery of a human phalanx in a plate of steak tartare forces Inspector Gildo Falcone to leave his food truck and dive into a case as grotesque as it is political. The investigation leads him to the restaurant of a football star, where he uncovers a network of illegal betting and extortion with direct ties to city hall.

When the restaurant’s chef is found murdered and Gildo discovers that the meat served contains human remains, the investigation takes him to a clandestine slaughterhouse where immigrants were drugged, dismembered, and mixed with animal meat to supply other establishments. Disobeying judicial orders, Gildo storms the site alone to rescue several victims.

Although he brings down the mayor and sees those responsible arrested, he pays a personal price: Virginia, the woman he has fallen in love with, leaves him, and he realizes his methods have placed him squarely in the crosshairs.

In Death in the Vineyards, Gildo is called to investigate the murder of Giulio Pappalardo, a powerful winemaker found dead in the chapel of his estate. The case soon becomes a labyrinth of secret lovers, falsified accounts, and multimillion-euro urban development schemes.

Caught between a dominant widow, morally fractured sons, and an overly ambitious oenologist, Gildo discovers that the winery is on the brink of ruin and that Giulio planned to sell the land to build a shopping center. The matriarch, Marta, weary of her husband’s infidelities and determined to keep everything, uses her young lover to poison Giulio and frame her own sister.

At the funeral, Gildo dismantles her theatrical façade, forcing her confession. The case reaffirms his instinct: in powerful families, money always outweighs blood.

In Spaghetti, Meatballs and Vendetta, the murder of a city councilor for urban planning exposes a corruption scheme tied to illegal licenses and real estate speculation.

Gildo connects the crime to an apparently harmless Italian restaurant, uncovering a network made up of politicians, respectable neighbors, and an old friend turned hitman. The victim was poisoned with homemade meatballs—the same method that nearly killed Gildo’s mother.

Following the clues, Falcone reconstructs the crime: an elderly aristocrat ordered the councilor’s death, her nephew carried it out, and the building’s doorman covered it up. Beyond the case, the investigation reveals a corrupt urban machine that directly threatens Gildo’s food truck, proving that in Rome no one kills alone—there are always interests behind it.

In Funeral in Rome, Claudia Boanchi, the illegitimate daughter of a deceased magnate, asks Gildo for help during the funeral: she is convinced her father was murdered. Gildo uncovers a multimillion-euro financial fraud within the corporate group and a web of betrayals among business partners.

When the main suspect seems clear, a recording reveals the truth: a company executive killed the magnate and manipulated evidence to frame another. Although Gildo exposes the economic scheme, the murderer escapes.

Months later, Claudia executes her own revenge in London, closing the circle of a justice the system would never have achieved.

In The Devil’s Roastery, the eccentric owner of a famous coffee-roasting company is found charred inside his own machine. All suspicion points to his former partner, but Gildo senses something does not add up.

Investigating among heirs, lovers, and employees, he discovers that the true motive is industrial: a new coffee blend about to be patented. The production manager murdered his boss after a prior argument and staged the scene to frame the ex-partner, intending to keep the formula.

As he solves the case, Gildo suffers a personal blow upon discovering Marzia’s infidelity, making clear that his emotional life is as unstable as the crimes he investigates.

In Death Neapolitan Style, the murder of a British journalist investigating authentic Neapolitan pizza takes Gildo from Rome to Naples.

Amid centuries-old rivalries between pizza-making clans, he uncovers a silent war over protected designations of origin, international contracts, and culinary prestige. As he reconstructs the journalist’s final steps, Gildo confronts a world where tradition and business collide violently.

The case confirms the saga’s core premise: even the most sacred food can become a reason to kill.

RELEVANT INFORMATION: Riccardo Braccaioli is a crime thriller author who has written several series, notably the Inspector Álex Cortés saga, which has propelled him to prominence with hundreds of thousands of readers.

With a structure of standalone cases, the Gildo Falcone saga builds an original and addictive gastronomic noir in which Rome and southern Italy function as an additional character. Each novel presents a powerful crime filled with twists, corruption, and family tensions, while Gildo’s personal arc—his struggle to maintain his identity between the police force and the kitchen—provides emotional continuity.

With a charismatic protagonist, recognizable supporting characters, and villains linked to business and political power, the series is ideal for a format in the vein of Bosch or Fargo: intense episodes, urban atmosphere, dark humor, and cliffhangers, with strong visual appeal thanks to its blend of gastronomy, crime, and social critique.

AUDIOVISUAL POTENTIAL: TV Series, Miniseries, Feature Film, TV Movie.

AVAILABLE LANGUAGES: Spanish, English, Italian, French.